Monday, May 19, 2008

The Puzzle Piece

There once was a little boy who wanted a puzzle for Christmas. As part of this Christmas traditions, they would always open a present on Christmas Eve. When Christmas Eve arrived and it was time to open one present, he selected the beautifully wrapped box that was shapped like a puzzle and rattled with pieces inside, just hoping his sluthing would be right.

He eagerly tore through the paper to reveal to his yearning heart, the 500 piece puzzle he wanted. A big smile and gleaming eyes adorned his face as he threw his arms around his parent's and thanked them for the charished gift.

The boy and his dad skipped to the kitchen table and opened the box and dumped the many pieces out. For hours they worked on the puzzle as it slowly started taking shape. The warmth of the fireplace and the joy of creation kept time at bay.

Dad picked up a piece and carefully looked at it. Showing it to his young son, he asked, "Do you know where this piece fits?" The boy shook his head and stated he didn't know where it belonged. Dad took the piece, leaned toward the fireplace and tossed the piece in to burn. The boy's eyes opened in disbelief accompanied with an expletive gasp of horror!

Dad then began to teach his son a life's lesson. He said, "Sometimes life can be like this puzzle. We receive a piece that we don't know where it fits, but we end up tossing it out instead of waiting to find where it belongs."

Frequently in life, we have experiences that just don't make sense. It is not until the puzzle gets further a long that we find a fit for that experience. I read a history of a man who went through many trials in his life. One day during a particularly trying experience, he plead to God to know why he had to go through these hard times.

Feelings of peace came into his heart and he recounts a list of trials that he went through flowed through his mind in details. Then the thoughts that followed changed his understanding and provide inspiration to each of us. The thoughts were, "All these things shall give thee experience and shall be for thy good. The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than He?"

As we endure hardship, if we look around, we find those that endure more than we do. It is like the sign in the shoe shop which reads, "I used to complain about not having shoes, until I met one who had no feet."

Like steel, we are strenghtened as we go through trials. There is no other way for meaningful growth to occur. As we go through trials, think about the gain you will receive from enduring the fire. Be grateful for the opportunity to grow and stretch. Then look around you and extend a hand of friendship and strength to those around you who need your support during their trials. Together we can grow to become great.

Like every great individual who has changed the world for better, their histories are filled with trials of growth. So the next time you feel like giving up, take a breath, look to those who have gone before, and say, "This too shall give me experience and shall be for my good!"